Traditional commercialized textbooks are an additional education cost and a barrier to accessing post-secondary education. Open educational resources (OERs) disrupt the cycle of profits that publishers make, and increase access and affordability.
OPEN TEXTBOOKS NOW!
Campaign Background
The high cost of textbooks is creating obstacles for students to be successful in classes. Since 2002, the cost of textbooks has nearly doubled. In fact, 26% of BC students choose to not register for a course due to textbook costs, which negatively impacts their academic career.
An alternative solution is the implementation of Open Education Resources (OER). OERs come in many forms: full courses, lesson plans, videos, exams, and textbooks. These are available in digital formats for free or in print at a very low cost. The implementation of OERs in classes will save students from over-priced textbooks without sacrificing high-quality education.
In the past 5 years, open textbooks have saved students more than $6 million; more funding will result in more materials and save students money one class at a time! All it takes to expand the program is a commitment from instructors and administration to make saving students money a priority.
Don’t drop the course, drop the textbook.
These examples of OERs are all used at Douglas College, free as digital copies and available in print format for only a fraction of the cost of a regular textbook!
Success at Douglas College
Douglas students have made our campaign a tremendous success. Out of all of the institutions in the province, Douglas College ranks first in OER adoption rates – since 2013, almost 17,000 students have saved over $2 Million from OER adoptions that have replaced traditional commercial textbooks!
The Douglas Students’ Union contributed to and supported the creation of the Douglas OER Grant for Douglas faculty members to create new OERs for their courses – since the grant began in Winter 2018, 49 grants have been awarded leading to increased adoptions of Open Education Resources (OERs) at Douglas.
Goals:
Save students money on textbooks by increasing adoption of OERs at Douglas College
Bust myths surrounding open educational resources and open education
Promote and support adoption of open textbooks and other materials among faculty
Support the efforts of the BC Federation of Students and BC Campus (BC’s provincial open textbook research organization)
The high cost of textbooks has nearly doubled since 2002. In addition to ever-increasing tuition fees and ballooning student loan debt, textbook costs are creating further obstacles fo student success in the classroom. In fact, a majority of BC post-secondary students report that they don’t buy their textbooks – this can have serious negative effects on learning outcomes.
Open Educational Resources (OERs) are accessible, affordable and customizable. They increase access to knowledge and the quality of learning, both of which improve student success.
What are OERs?
OERs come in many forms: full courses, lesson plans, videos, games, textbooks and online simulations (just to name a few). These are available in digital formats for free or in print at a very low cost. The implementation of OERs in classes will save students from over-priced textbooks without sacrificing high-quality education.
In the past 5 years, open textbooks have saved students nearly $5 million; more funding will result in more materials and save students money one class at a time! All it takes to expand the program is a commitment from instructors and administration to make saving students money a priority.
OERs at Douglas College
Check out the courses and instructors who have worked to provide OERs in their classes, instead of traditional textbooks.
-
The following courses have replaced a commercial textbook with an open textbook and/or open educational resources for the 2025 Fall term at Douglas College. This list does not include the courses that require no textbooks:
ANTH 1100 sections 001, 002, taught by Jamie Yard
ANTH 1111 ALL SECTIONS
ASTR 1105 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 1100 section 001, taught by Jessie Clasen
BIOL 1103 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 1104 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 1109 sections 001, 002, 003, taught by Len Millis, Karuna Karunakaran, and Elinor Matheson
BIOL 1203 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 1209 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 2401 ALL SECTIONS
BLAW 1320 sections 001, 006, 008, 051, 052, taught by Brian Fixter and Scott Van Dyk
BUSN 1210 section 001, taught by Brandy Dudas
BUSN 3312 section 050, taught by Rachael Newton
BUSN 3600 ALL SECTIONS
CFCS 1130 section 001, taught by Jacky Barreiro
CHEM 1108 sections 003, 004, taught by Paul O’Connor
CHEM 1110 sections 002, 003, 004, taught by Paul O’Connor and Kimberley Thompson
CHEM 1210 ALL SECTIONS
CMNS 1104 ALL SECTIONS
CMNS 1217 section 002, taught by Andrew Osborne
CMNS 3700 section 050, taught by Sam Schechter
CRIM 1150 section 001, taught by Tara Chang
CSIS 4270 ALL SECTIONS
DACS 1140 section 052, taught by Jenna Chrisianson-Barker
EAES 1201 ALL SECTIONS
EAES 1240 section 001, taught by Derek Turner
EAES 2400 section 001, taught by Nathalie Vigouroux-Caillibot
EAES 2605 section 001, taught by Derek Turner
ENGL 1130 sections 023, 024, 025, taught by Nate Szymanski
FINC 1231sections 001, 002, taught by Reza Hosseini Ghinani
MATH 1101 ALL SECTIONS
MATH 1105 ALL SECTIONS
MATH 1123 section 001, taught by Aubie Anisef
MATH 1125 ALL SECTIONS
MATH 1234 ALL SECTIONS
MATH 2210 section 001, taught by Mark Schurch
MATU 0310 ALL SECTIONS
MATU 0410 ALL SECTIONS
MATU 0411 sections 001, 002, taught by Jeff McManus
NURS 3318 section 090, taught by Leisha Vandermey
PHIL 1102 sections 001, 002, taught by Kira Tomsons
PHIL 1122 sections 001, 004, taught by Elliot Rossiter
PHIL 2201 section 001, taught by Sarah Hogarth Rossiter
PHIL 3330 section 051, taught by Elliot Rossiter
PHIL 4205 section 001, taught by Elliot Rossiter
PHIL 4706 section 001, taught by Kira Tomsons
PHYS 1104 ALL SECTIONS
PHYS 1107 ALL SECTIONS
PHYS 1110 ALL SECTIONS
SOCI 1125 sections 007, 008, taught by Joseph Moore
SOCI 1155 sections 005, 050, taught by Joseph Moore
SOSC 2140 sections 002, 003, 004, taught by Roger Tweed
SOWK 3122 section 001, taught by Elisabeth Hagerty
SPSC 1151 section 003, taught by Sean Conner
SPSC 1192 sections 002, 090, taught by Mandana Salajegheh and Karine Hamm
STSU 1100 ALL SECTIONS
THRT 2307 ALL SECTIONS
-
The following courses have replaced a commercial textbook with an open textbook and/or open educational resources for the 2025 Winter term at Douglas College. This list does not include the courses that require no textbooks:
ACCT 3008 sections 003, taught by Jack Lin
ANTH 1111 sections 001, 002, taught by Laurie Beckwith
ASTR 1105 sections 051, 050, taught by William Gunton and Jennifer Kirkey
BIOL 1100 section 001, taught by Jessica Clasen
BIOL 1103 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 1104 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 1109 section 001, taught by Len Millis
BIOL 1203 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 1209 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 2401 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 3205 section 001, taught by Len Millis
BLAW 1320 sections 001, 004, 050, taught by Scott Van Dyk
BUSN 3600 sections 003, 005, 050 taught by Adrienne Watt, Eamonn O’Laocha, and Florence Daddey
CHEM 1108 sections 002, 003, taught by Brenda Addison-Jones
CHEM 1110 section 004, taught by Greg Gibson
CHEM 2330 section 001, taught by Paul O’Connor
CMNS 1104 ALL SECTIONS
CMNS 1217 section 001, taught by Andrew Osborne
CMNS 3502 section 001, taught by Sam Schechter
CMNS 3700 section 001, taught by Sam Schechter
CMPT 2361 section 001, taught by Shahriar Khosravi
CRIM 1150 sections 001, 008, taught by Tara Chang
CSIS 4270 section 002, taught by Michael Wufka
DACS 2320 sections 050, 051, taught by Kari Gustafson
EAES 2410 section 001, taught by Nathalie Vigouroux-Caillibot
ENGL 1130 sections 002, 009, 010, 028, 035, taught by Konstantinos Pozoukidis and Sarah Brown
GEOG 1110 sections 001, 003, 004, taught by Susan Smythe
GEOG 2251 sections 001, 002, taught by Kathy Runnalls
MATH 1101 ALL SECTIONS
MATH 1105 ALL SECTIONS
MATH 1125 section 001, taught by Aubie Anisef
MATH 1160 sections 001, 002, taught by Annie Marquise and Arezou Valadkhani
MATH 1220 section 001, taught by Peter Sinclair
MATH 1234 sections 001, 002, taught by Bruce Kadonoff
MATH 2210 ALL SECTIONS
MATH 2232 section 001, taught by Wesley Snider
MATH 2421 section 001, taught by Mark Schurch
MATU 0110 section 001, taught by Kevin Staley
MATU 0310 section 002, taught by Florica Alexandru
MATU 0410 sections 001, 002, taught by Sam Riley
PHYS 1104 ALL SECTIONS
PHYS 1107 ALL SECTIONS
PHYS 1110 ALL SECTIONS
PHYS 1170 ALL SECTIONS
PHYS 1207 section 001, taught by Yulia Kvasnikova
PHYS 1210 sections 001, 002, taught by Yulia Kvasnikova
POLI 1101 sections 003, 004, 005, taught by Darin Nesbitt
PSYC 2301 section 050, taught by Clare Van Norden
SOCI 1125 sections 009, 010, taught by Joseph Moore
SOSC 2140 sections 002, 050, taught by Roger Tweed
SPSC 1192 sections 002, 090, taught by Mandana Salajegheh
SPSC 1151 section 003, taught b Sean Conner
STSU 1100 ALL SECTIONS
Our thanks go out to these faculties for adapting their courses to integrate OERs. Your decision to use OERs is directly affecting Douglas College students by reducing their financial burden to buy textbooks and other resources.
-
The following courses have replaced a commercial textbook with an open textbook and/or open educational resources for the 2024 Fall term at Douglas College. This list does not include the courses that require no textbooks:
ACCT 3008 sections 004, 050, taught by Yuh-Ren Lin
ANTH 1100 sections 001, 002, taught by Bill Angelbeck
ANTH 1111 section 001, taught by Laurie Beckwith
ASTR 1105 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 1100 section 001, taught by Jessica Clasen
BIOL 1103 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 1109 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 1203 ALL SECTIONS
BIOL 1209 section 001, taught by Rosemary Oh-Mcginnis
BIOL 2401 sections 002, 003, 004, taught by Weissy Lee and Liza Sutton
BIOL 3205 section 001, taught by Rosemary Oh-McGinnis
BUSN 3314 ALL SECTIONS
BUSN 3600 sections 001, 004, taught by Adrienne Watt
CFCS 1130 ALL SECTIONS
CHEM 1108 sections 003, 004, taught by Paul O’Connor
CHEM 1110 ALL SECTIONS
CHEM 1210 ALL SECTIONS
CMNS 1115 sections 008, 009, taught by Sam Schechter
CMNS 1217 section 002, taught by Andrew Osborne
CMNS 3700 section 001, taught by Sam Schechter
CMNS 1150 section 001, taught by Tara Chang
CSIS 4270 sections 004, 005, taught by Michael Wufka
CYCC 2320, section 001, taught by Kari Gustafson
CYCC 3340, section 001, taught by Jacky Barreiro
DACS 4111, section 090, taught by Sandra Polushin
DACS 4131, section 090, taught by Jennifer Christianson-Barker
EAES 2400 section 001, taught by Nathalie Vigouroux-Caillibot
EAES 2605 section 001, taught by Derek Turner
FINC 1231 sections 001, 002, taught by Reza Hosseini Ghinani
GEOG 1110 ALL SECTIONS
GEOG 1120 section 005, taught by Susan Smythe
GEOG 2230, section 001, taught by Susan Smythe
GEOG 2251 ALL SECTIONS
HIST 1114, section 050, taught by Carling Beninger
HUMS 1400 section 050, taught by Elliot Rossiter
MATH 1101 ALL SECTIONS
MATH 1105 ALL SECTIONS
MATH 1125 ALL SECTIONS
MATH 1160 ALL SECTIONS
MATH 1220 ALL SECTIONS
MATH 1234 ALL SECTIONS
MATH 2210 section 001, taught by Mark Schurch
MATH 2321, section 001, taught by Allan Majdanac
MATU 0110 section 001, taught by Jeff McManus
MATU 0310 ALL SECTIONS
MUSC 1101 section 001, taught by Heather Harty Scott
MUSC 1102, section 001, taught by Heather Harty Scott
PEFA 1102, section 002, taught by Jairo Salazar Chaparro
PEFA 2139, section 002, taught by Hazel Fairbairn
PHIL 1102, section 002, taught by Kira Tomsons
PHIL 1103, section 002, taught by Elliot Rossiter
PHIL 3320, section 001, taught by Elliot Rossiter
PHIL 4205, section 001, taught by Elliot Rossiter
PHYS 1104, ALL SECTIONS
PHYS 1107, ALL SECTIONS
PHYS 1110, ALL SECTIONS
POLI 1101, sections 006, 008, 010, taught by Darin Nesbitt
PSYC 3330, section 002, taught by Roger Tweed
SOCI 1125 section 007, taught by Joseph Moore
SOCI 1155 sections 001, 002, taught by Joseph Moore
SOSC 2140 sections 002, 050, 051, taught by Roger Tweed
SOWK 3122, section 001, taught by Elisabeth Hagerty
SPSC 1151, section 003, taught by Sean Conner
SPSC 1192, section 090, taught by Karine Hamm
STSU 1100, ALL SECTIONS
THRT 2307, ALL SECTIONS
#textbookbrokeBC
〰️
#textbookbrokeBC 〰️
Join the online provincial conversation on OERs by following #textbookbrokeBC, and posting online your experience with OERs. You can also tweet your textbook receipt using the hashtag #textbookbrokeBC to share how the rising costs of textbooks are affecting you.
Know an instructor who you think would be interested in adopting Open Education Resources? Direct them to Douglas College Library, or send us a message and we can reach out to help them get started!
Open Access Week
October 20 - October 26, 2025
Open Access Week is an opportunity for the academic and research community to continue to learn about the potential benefits of Open Access, to share what they’ve learned with colleagues, and to help inspire wider participation in helping to make Open Access a new norm in scholarship and research.
Open Education Week
March 3, 2025 - March 7, 2025
Open Education Week is a celebration and a focus on open education, aiming to raise awareness about the Open Education Movement and its impact on teaching and learning worldwide. The event provides opportunities to share and learn about the latest developments and trends in open education, through various workshops and events.
Academic Materials Survey
In Fall 2020, the DSU launched the Academic Materials Survey to learn about student experience with academic materials. We gathered info from students that included how much tuition and textbooks costs, the cost and usage of access codes and perspectives on Open Educational Resources (OERs). You can read the results and our full report from the Survey here.
In Fall 2021, following the release of the survey results, DSU Board members Doyin Agbaje and Mehre Dlir were invited to submit a blog post to Douglas College website. You can read our full blog post submission here.
Here’s what the survey told us:
Over 77% of students were surprised by the cost of academic materials (and not in a good way)
Over 74% said that academic materials cost more than expected (what a horrible surprise)
Over 70% of students did not buy recommended materials because it was cost prohibitive
66% of students had to pay additional money for access codes (another bad surprise)
Over 90% would use an OER if it was available as an option
Students would utilize different options to access OERs – print, digital and a combination of both
Thank you to all the students who participated – the information and comments we received help us continue to lobby and advocate for increased access and alternatives to traditional commercial textbooks and at the end of the day, help YOU save on your education costs!